LULAC must rid itself of its national president and reboot

LULAC national president Roger Rocha talks about the need to stop unnecessary discrimination against any person of color at the LULAC's annual convention hosted at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on July 6, 2017. Rocha is fighting attempts to oust him as president for his support of President Donald Trump’s legislative blueprint for immigration law changes.

Photo: Srijita Chattopadhyay /San Antonio Express-News

Presidents of nonprofit, membership-based organizations have a lot of reasons to stand for election and serve. They probably embrace their organization’s history and mission. They love community service and find it rewarding.

Sure, they also like the honor and prestige. There’s a certain clubbiness that comes with holding office, though it’s mostly hard work, personal sacrifice and headaches. Some leadership roles come with perks, too, and ethical issues can emerge with them.

After serving for several years, the most gifted leaders decide to step down. They mentor younger leaders and stand in the back of the room, to let them learn to lead. Sometimes, they leave the room altogether, and sometimes they’re pressed into service again.

All of these qualities and situations, however, wouldn’t apply to Roger Rocha of Laredo, who at this writing remains national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, by way of filing a lawsuit Thursday and getting a temporary restraining order the same day allowing him to stay put.

Bully for him.

His suit against LULAC’s other leadership ignores some basic facts — that LULAC’s membership has turned against him, that he has undermined their wishes and that they have asked him to step down.

Because he has adamantly refused, seeking at all costs to keep his post — and its perks, which include a stipend — members have asked their national board to remove him from office. He’s not without support, however.

His lawsuit, filed in a state district court in Bexar County, got to the desk of visiting, retired Judge John D. Gabriel Jr., who granted Rocha his restraining order pending a hearing set for Feb. 28.

In the lawsuit, Rocha casts himself as victim, wronged attacked by “evil intent” against him. He seeks damages for willful, wanton malice “without justification and excuse.” He seeks “exemplary damages in an amount far in excess of the minimum jurisdictional limits of the court.”

Gabriel’s order says LULAC is causing “imminent harm to plaintiffs and to the membership of LULAC.” The ex parte order is necessary, he writes, “because there was not enough time to give notice to defendants, hold a hearing and issue a restraining order before the irreparable injury, loss or damage occurs” — to Rocha.

The judge also says LULAC, in attempting to remove Rocha, is causing “bad media.”

How odd that a court would get involved in the legitimate work of a national nonprofit membership organization trying to protect itself from bad leadership, especially when Rocha has no one else to blame but himself for getting to this awful point.

LULAC members have demanded that Rocha resign or be removed. Any organization has the right when a leader is no longer fit to serve, presents ethical questions, has violated the organization’s member-approved resolutions and has brought controversy and shame to the office.

Rocha crossed those bridges when he decided, without the knowledge or consent of LULAC’s board, to write a supportive, grating, obsequious letter to President Donald Trump about his immigration proposals. They’re part of the president’s political brand and have been roundly deemed hateful, xenophobic, anti-Latino and anti-American, including his call for a $25 billion border wall that LULAC’s membership has condemned, passing a resolution that says as much.

Rocha’s letter hit hard because Latinos have not forgotten Trump’s first campaign promise on the day he announced his presidential bid. In it, he called for a wall and called Mexicans rapists and criminals.

Rocha’s letter angered and embarrassed LULAC. Others, too. It should have embarrassed Rocha, at the very least for openly violating the membership’s legislative goals.

Rocha wants to remain in office at least until LULAC’s summer convention, where controversy-free voting has been rare. News reports from such meetings have read more like elections in dictator-led banana republics, underlining this reality: If any group needs an overhaul and new legal counsel, it’s LULAC.

Rocha’s lawsuit says LULAC “has developed a significant amount of goodwill and has established an excellent reputation,” but fails to acknowledge he has been behind its unraveling.

The suit also says LULAC “has developed a reputation of competence and credibility in the corporate, political, judicial and advocacy communities,” but fails to note that he’s another reason such support is threatened.

One media report Friday said Rocha wants to stay on to help the case of Dreamers. So much work remains to be done, he said.

He can continue that work as a citizen, a voter and individual member of LULAC, if it will have him.

Elaine Ayala has been in the newspaper business for 33 years as a reporter, editor, blogger and columnist. She has worked at six metropolitan dailies, including the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, the Arizona Daily Star, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Austin American-Statesman and the El Paso Times

She has worked at the San Antonio Express-News for 16 years. Her Metro column runs on Monday in the Express-News and in its bilingual weekly Conexión. She writes a Latino Life blog about "Latino arts, politics y mas" on MySanAntonio.com. Her minority affairs beat focuses on diversity and ethnic communities.

The San Antonio native graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.

Ayala has been involved in several journalism organizations throughout her career, most focused on increasing the number of minorities and women in the U.S. newsroom and raising money for scholarships for students pursuing careers in the media.

She speaks at area schools and community organizations and has served as a mistress of ceremonies for several galas and events. In addition to her newspaper work, she has written for several publications, including Latino magazine, Latino Future magazine, the National Catholic Reporter and a couple of now-defunct magazines.